Congratulations to Rhonda Bauske (Oregon), Lisa Foland (Illinois) and Kathy Hornick (Virginia) who were all randomly selected to win a SET of Mike Carey’sFelix Castor (US Version) novels including copies of "The Devil You Know” and “Vicious Circle”, courtesy of Hachette Book Group USA!!! “Vicious Circle” is officially out today and if you haven’t read “The Devil You Know” yet, then what are you waiting for! Both novels are highly recommended and have been reviewed by Fantasy Book Critic HERE (The Devil You Know) + HERE (Vicious Circle), and you can learn more about the author Mike Carey in an interview HERE.

Moving on, I’m on a semi-vacation this week, so I just have a few scraps of news:

~For mystery/thriller lovers, on August 12, 2008, William Morrow is publishing “Takeover”, a hot new novel from talented debut author Lisa Black. “Takeover” is described as a gripping thrill ride that combines forensics details with the tautness of a hostage situation and heralds a major voice in crime fiction, and a sharp & gutsy forensic investigator:

”I’ve just finally emerged from editorial revisions on my second book, and what do I see when I check my email but a very kind offer from Matt Staggs to post something on his blog. But what? I’ve been off the internet for a month and I don’t know what’s happening in the world. Has Obama won yet? Oh God, please, has Obama won yet?

Here is a picture of the cover of the book. It’s called Gears of the City, it comes out in December, and it’s a sequel to my first novel, Thunderer, which Matt reviewed here. It has madmen, pilgrims, ghosts, a remote and haunted Mountain, an evil Hotel, zeppelins, something that is almost but not exactly a dragon, a supporting character who is almost but not exactly the Marquis de Sade, and a certain amount of time travel. Also, other things.”

In my opinion, “Thunderer” (Reviewed HERE) was one of the best fantasy debuts in 2007 and I’ve been looking forward to the sequel. Now with Felix’s comments and the superb cover art, I can barely contain my excitement :)

~Lastly, SFcrowsnest has recently opened the doors on their new social networking site for science fiction and fantasy fans, called Hivemind. Cut from the same cloth as FaceBook, MySpace, Bebo and the like, but specifically designed with SFF fans in mind, users can use Hivemind to chat, blog, post polls, upload photos, create fan groups for your favorite conventions, SFF books and films, and make virtual friends with other Nestizens. Hivemind is currently in its early Beta, so all comments and feedback on how to improve the site are much welcome…